Is coffee good for me

Coffee is one of the worlds’ most widely consumed beverages with over 400 billion people drinking it every year, you begin to wonder is it any good for you. The good news is you don’t need to throw all your coffee out the window, there are in fact benefits to drinking the brown nectar we all know and love.

We all have that one friend who is committed in making you stop drinking coffee, and they’ll always jump to a few common conclusions – insomnia, dehydration and adrenal fatigue. Yes, coffee can make it hard to sleep but that’s usually because we drink it too late in the day. See Coffee is like a super power and with great power comes great responsibility, especially when the effect can last up to 10 hours after drinking. All this means is you just need to plan your coffee schedule, if your sleeping at 10pm stop drinking at noon.

“Coffee makes me thirsty”

Well that’s because coffee is a natural diuretic. But do you know what coffee isn’t…it isn’t a substitute for water. You should still be aiming to drink your daily intake of water, which is usually between 1.5-2 litres a day.

“I feel fatigued after I drink too much”

Although there is no scientific evidence to prove that drinking coffee correlates to adrenal fatigue but the truth of the matter is, too much of anything isn’t good for you. The same way eating too much sugar can lead to a burn out of energy, the same goes for caffeine.

“So what are the benefits to coffee”

Coffee is good for your waistline, it has been known to boost your metabolism by up to 11%, which of course helps when it comes to burning fat. Not to mention the energy boost it provides when you wake up for the gym, the increase in performance comes from a spike of adrenaline you get from the caffeine. This can result in an increase in performance by up to 11-12 percent.

“Alright Mr know it all…”

Well did you know, coffee can make you smarter. It improves the firing of neurons in the brain and has been known to help improve various functions such as your mood (especially in the morning), energy levels, reaction time, memory (did I mention reaction time) and general cognitive function .

“Coffee is just another thing my body doesn’t need”

Coffee contains a high level of antioxidants, one thousand different antioxidants to be exact. These antioxidants help fight off free radicals in the body and generally benefits your immune system. Study showed coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing liver cancer by up to 40% compared to those who don’t drink coffee. So the next time you want to recover from a mean hangover, grab a cup of coffee.

Coffee is also known to contain valuable nutrients like Riboflavin, Potassium, Magnesium and more. Yes, the amount of nutrients per cub isn’t significant, but if your drinking 3 cups a day; which is the average, then you’re getting a steady flow of nutrients which your body is very grateful for.

“coffee can’t mend a broken heart”

True coffee can’t mend your broken heart but it can help you be happier and even fight depression. Drinking coffee can lower the risk of depression by up to 20% for women and for people that drink 4 cups a day they are 53% less likely to commit suicide than those who do not. So if you just broke up, have a coffee, better yet meet someone new over a cup.

“Okay…coffee is brilliant”

Coffee IS brilliant, it’s good for your heart, brain, liver and body. In fact the best time to drink coffee is one hour after you wake up or if you’re going for a workout, then 30 minutes before.

“But how many cups should I drink”

A short rule of thumb is – two is fine, three is good and 4 is maximum.